Recipe for Student Success: Prioritizing Culturally Relevant Meals in NYC

On October 2, 2023, NYHealth hosted a conversation on developing culturally relevant recipes in New York City schools and providing hands-on, scratch training to school food staff. Speakers from the New York City Public Schools Office of Food and Nutrition Services and Wellness in the Schools discussed the advantages and challenges the nation’s largest school district faces when innovating, as well as the opportunities to connect this work outside the City’s five boroughs. 

New York City has long been a leader in school food, providing 1.1 million students with free meals that exceed federal nutrition standards. Recognizing that the meals schools serve should mirror the diversity of the students eating those meals, the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) and Mayor’s Office of Food Policy recently partnered with Wellness in the Schools to launch the City’s first-ever Chefs Council.

Watch the event recording.

Additional Resources:

Learn more about the New York City Mayor’s Office of Food Policy and check out the NYC Office of Food and Nutrition Services to view school menus, nutritional information, food programs, and more.

Learn more about NYHealth grantee Wellness in the Schools and their efforts to implement fresh cooking in NYC schools.